2025 KCCON

Just after 5:00 a.m. yesterday (8 March), I set off for Kansas City, Missouri. This trip was to attend KCCON, a scale modeling contest and swap meet hosted by the Great Plains and KC AMPS chapters of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA). On the way, I listened to the latest episode of the podcast Plastic Model Mojo, via Spotify on my mobile phone and streamed via Bluetooth over the car's speakers. One of my favorite podcasts, it is hosted by Mike Baskette and my friend, David "Kentucky Dave" Knights. After a brief episode on the Twelve Minute Modelsphere this month, I listened to Episode 135, which featured an interview with Mark Copeland, Director of Educational Travel for the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, Georgia. It's always a great listen for news on scale modeling and for feature interviews such as the one with Copeland.

After just over four hours of travel, which included a stop for fuel and breakfast on the way, I arrived at the show site, the First Church of the Nazarene. I had filled out my registration and entry forms in advance, so it didn't take too long to check in at the front desk. I placed my sole entry in Armor, a 1:35 scale BMW R75 motorcycle with sidecar, just outside the armor judging room. Armor entries in this contest were judged using Armor Modeling and Preservation Society (AMPS) rules, in which a team of three judges evaluated each entry on construction, finish/weathering, and degree of difficulty. The entries were not compared to what else was in the category. After my R75 was judged, it was placed on the table for its category.

I then placed my two other contest entries--a 1:48 F9F-2 Panther and a 1:72 J-8II "Finback-B"--in their respective Aircraft categories. The rest of the contest was judged by IPMS rules, in which the judges evaluated each entry against the others in that category.

I then walked around the venue, admiring the models entered in the show and buying tickets to the raffles both clubs held. I also shopped among the vendors. During my walks, I chatted with people I know that were present. This is one of the best things I like about attending these out-of-town model shows.

This was the first show I attended since becoming the acting Director of Local Chapters of IPMS/USA in late January. A few of my friends and acquaintances there congratulated me on the new position. Additionally, I talked with Doug Kolkman, my successor as IPMS/USA Region 14 Coordinator, answering his questions with advice on regional coordinator duties.

At midday, I answered the call for contest judges. After a pizza lunch, the head judge briefed us on procedures and judging teams were formed. Two others joined me on a team, and we judged Juniors, Figures, Dioramas, Space and Science-Fiction, and Mecha. The quality of many entries challenged us in many categories to determine the three places in each category.

After judging finished late that afternoon, the awards were announced. The Armor entries were announced first, and they awarded gold, silver, and bronze awards depending on the quality of work. My R75 earned a Bronze in Half-Tracked and Wheeled Vehicles All Eras. The judging tally sheets were placed with each entry prior to the awards ceremony, and I could see that the judges thought of my entry. They noted that the cylinders weren't level and glue marks on the model, but one lauded the nice leather effect on the seats and equipment bags. Those are good to know in improving my work, especially in armor models.

The rest of the contest results were announced. Neither of my aircraft models placed, which didn't surprise me as I saw the quality of my competition. It's not that big of a deal for me. If I win a contest award, great, but it doesn't define me as a modeler.

After the ceremony, I congratulated a few of the winners and packed up my models to go home. I did win one kit in the Great Plains raffle, an Airfix 1:72 C-47 Skytrain. From the vendors, three kits caught my eye: Tamiya's 1;700 British battleship Prince of Wales, Revell's 1;48 Ju 87G-1 Stuka tank buster, and Frog's 1:72 Blackburn Shark. That's four more kits for my stash.

The drive home was smooth. I listened to episodes of the TCM and Max podcast "Talking Pictures," hosted by Ben Mankiewicz. The episodes were interviews with Bill Murray, Jane Lynch, Carol Burnett, and Jason Reitman. These were all very interesting to me.

I made a stop at an Arby's in Booneville for dinner and a Dairy Queen in Warrenton for a dessert. Both times, I used the drive through lane. 

Around 8:50 p.m., I arrived home after a round trip of 513.6 miles (826.6 km). After unloading the car and bringing in mail from the mailbox, I set my clocks ahead one hour with Daylight Savings Time coming into effect overnight. I was tired from the long day, but happy for my experience.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page

IPMS/Great Plains: IPMS Great Plains

IPMS/KC AMPS: KCAMPS

AMPS: Home - Armor Modeling & Preservation Society

Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene: KC First Church of the Nazarene | Welcome

Plastic Model Mojo: Plastic Model Mojo

National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force: National Mighty Eighth Museum

Talking Pictures podcast: Talking Pictures | Podcast on Spotify

Spotify: Spotify - Web Player: Music for everyone

2024 IPMS/USA National Convention (3)

After getting a few hours of sleep at Baymont Inn & Suites in Janesville, I was up early on Saturday morning (20 July). I then drove into Madison, parked in a downtown garage, and walked over to the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. This was the final day of the 2024 IPMS/USA National Convention.

Arriving at Monona Terrace, I walked along Lake Monona for a few minutes before entering the facility. It was a pleasant morning and there were a few walkers, runners, and fishermen out along the lake.

Then, I went inside the facility to attend the annual IPMS/USA Business Meeting at the Convention. The executive board (e-board) members spoke in turn, summarizing the past year for their respective areas of responsibility and outlining their plans for the year ahead. A few questions and comments were taken at the end of their talk.

After the e-board spoke, there was a presentation by Tom Jett, Chairman of the 2025 IPMS/USA National Convention in Hampton, Virigina on 6-9 August. He mentioned the venue, planned activities, and rates. 

This was followed by the sole bid presentation for the 2026 National Convention. It was for Fort Wayne, Indiana, with John Figueroa--IPMS/USA Director of Local Chapters and 2026 Convention Chairman--presenting the bid. This would be held on 4-8 August 2026 and would be hosted by 11 chapters in IPMS/USA Region 4. Figueroa went over the venues, planned activities, hotels, and attractions. The e-board would meet after this presentation in closed session to consider this bid.

After the meetings, I was out checking out the contest entries and the vendors one more time. The Best of Class awards were already set out by their respective entries. I got a text from a friend saying I won a prize from Sprue Brothers Models, so I headed to their stand in the Vendor Room, where I found I won a t-shirt. I was happy to receive this prize.

I also did a bit more shopping, including some decals and a few books from various vendors. Additionally, I chatted with the hosts of the podcast Plastic Model Mojo, who at the time I met them was chatting with my friend Matt Hoeckelman of Modeling with the Matts. A great convergence, in my opinion.

In the mid-afternoon, I took in a seminar on restoring United States Navy aircraft that crashed into Lake Michigan during World War II. These aircraft were lost on training missions during the conflict. The seminar took the form of a YouTube video from Military Aviation Museum, which told of the salvage efforts so far (at the time the video was made). Approximately 40 aircraft were recovered by the video host's group, while some 60 to 70 aircraft remain in the lake. 

Late that afternoon, I went onto the roof of Monona Terrace for a short happy hour before the Convention banquet was held there. The outdoor banquet was a first for a National Convention. I didn't have a banquet ticket--I don't believe in shelling out extra money for this event--so I walked a few blocks northwest of the venue to The Rigby, a bar and restaurant. There, I had a sandwich with chips and a beer. Interesting place, but it suited me just fine.

After dinner, I walked back to Monona Terrace for attend a watch party for the awards ceremony at Monona Terrace's Exhibition Hall. The ceremony itself was held at the Lecture Hall. The ceremony began at 7:32 p.m. with Chairman Jeff Herne thanking everyone for attending and his Convention staff for their hard work.

2025 National Convention Chairman Tom Jett then spoke, inviting everyone to Hampton next year. IPMS/USA President Phil Peterson then formally revealed Fort Wayne as the 2026 Convention host. He then announced the first two recipients of IPMS/USA's Ralph Forehand Scholarship and honored Mark and Eileen Persichetti for their 30 years' work with the Contest (Mark as Head Judge, Eileen heading the entry tallies). IPMS/USA Journal Editor Chris Bucholtz saluted his predecessor John Keck, who recently retired from that tole.

First Vice President John Noack honored Dave Morissette and Frank Landrus for each writing 500 reviews of scale modeling products for the IPMS/USA website. The society's 60th anniversary kit giveaway was then announced. Four prizes per month will be given to randomly selected members over the next year.

Herne then thanked those who developed the registration system, which was a major success. Figueroa then presented awards for Regional Coordinator of the Year (Mark Normal, RC-1), Website of the Year (Alamo Squadron), Newsletter of the Year (East Caroline Plastic Modelers), Chapter of the Year (Fort Crook), and Member of the Year (Dick Davenport of Capital Area Modelers' Society).

Finally, at 8:07 p.m., the contest results were announced. Slides presented on the screen showed the award-winning models, along with their categories and the category sponsor. I was happy when some of my friends won awards in the contest. That included my IPMS/Gateway clubmate Jon Fincher, whose Paul the Alien won in a Figure category.

After the category results were announced, the Theme and Best of Class Awards were revealed. The Most Popular Model (voted on by attendees) went to a diorama depicting a cross section of the USS Hornet (CV-8) with one of the B-25s for the Doolittle Raid in 1942. The Best of Show went to a science-fiction entry.

Herne gave the unofficial totals of 2628 contest entries, and 760 "Tiger Meet" display only models. Official totals from the Convention should be announced in the coming days as I write these words. With that, the Convention ended around 10:45 p.m. and I went to the Contest Rooms to pack my three models in their carry box, say my goodbyes to those I know, and headed to the parking garage. I then drove Julie's vehicle back to Janesville, making a stop at a convenience store for a soft drink to keep me awake. Just before midnight, I was back at the hotel and was soon off to bed.

The conclusion of my National Convention trip account will be in my next post. Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Baymont Inn & Suites: Baymont by Wyndham | Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Janesville: Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (janesvillecvb.com)

Madison: Destination Madison | Restaurants, Hotels & Things To Do (visitmadison.com)

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center: Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center | Madison, WI

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page (ipmsusa.org)

Sprue Brothers Models: Sprue Brothers Models LLC Home Page

Plastic Model Mojo: Plastic Model Mojo

Modeling with the Matts: Modeling with the Matts - YouTube

The Rigby: HOME | TheRigbyPub

2023 IPMS/USA National Convention (3)

Early on Day Three of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA) Convention (4 August), I came to the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center for the annual Regional Coordinator (RC) breakfast. The meeting in the Embassy Suites' restaurant included three IPMS/USA executive board (e-board) members: President David Lockhart, Treasurer Mike Oberholtzer, and Director of Local Chapters (DLC) John Figueroa. Besides I, the Region 14 Coordinator, there were five other RCs in attendance: Mark Norman (RC-1), James Corley (RC-3), Allyson Kebschull (RC-4), Jeff Herne (RC-5), and Sean Glaspell (RC-6). Both Norman and Kebschull are new to their respective positions.

In this meeting, the Wild Apricot registration system was discussed. It was emphasized that we RCs were to be proficient in its use to better perform our duties. The RCs also discussed Regional Conventions and how to set forth definitive guidelines to help Regions and their chapters in organizing these shows. The meeting also talked about difficulties some RCs have had in getting nominations within their Regions for annual awards (Chapter, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster, and Member of the Year).  It was a most productive meeting and great to see these other RCs that I normally only know of from emails.

After the meeting, I walked over to the Conference Center to browse among the contest entries and the vendors. Early that afternoon, I attended a seminar given by Spanish master modeler Mig Jimenez on finishing armor models. Jimenez has his own line of modeling finishing products and tools, AMMO by Mig Jimenez. The presentation included step by step photos of how to add weathering effects to military vehicle models. He also showed pictures of actual vehicles during the current Ukraine War that he used to base the effects upon. I really enjoyed Jimenez' presentation and found his approach (look at actual subjects rather than other models, and to make your scale modeling fun) most refreshing.

After Jimenez' talk, I bought the AMMO Jet Engines Colors & Weathering Set from one of the vendors, SprayGunner. That vendor is one I have bought from previously and find their service most efficient.

Later in the afternoon, I sat in on another seminar, the Scale Model Podcast Roundup. This featured hosts from five podcasts: Plastic Model Mojo, Plastic Posse Podcast, Model Geeks Podcast, Small Subjects, and The Sprue Cutters Union. They discussed how they got into podcasting and their approaches to their podcasts. The hosts fielded questions from the audience on these matters. I have listened to a few episodes of Plastic Model Mojo (co-hosted by my friend David Knights), but now I will have to check out these other podcasts.

Early that night, I joined about 225 other registrants at the Judges' Meeting. Mark Persichetti, in his final year as Chairman of the IPMS/USA National Contest Committee, briefed us on judging procedures and etiquette. I was one of the aircraft judges and was working on my fifth contest as a full judge (not counting my first year as an On-the-Job Trainee, or OJT). 

Certificates were presented to judges for 3, 10, 20, and 30-year milestones, then we made our way to the contest room. The only people in that room were judges and the recording team. I joined other aircraft judges in part of the contest room where we were formed into three-person teams and assigned a contest category. After hearing my name called, I found my teammates and we received the contest form for the first category: 137, 1/32 Aircraft; Jet Powered. We looked over the entries in that category--including six from one entrant--finding any flaws in fit and finish. The IPMS/USA contest has a no-sweeps rule; no matter how many entries one has in a category, he or she can only win one prize (First, Second, or Third). We would find multiple entries by an entrant and determine the best of these before going to the individual entries. After just over an hour, we agreed on the three award winners in that category. We retired to a side room for a quick snack of cookies and soda before resuming our work.

The contest sheet for that category was turned in to the aircraft record keepers, and we received a second category to judge: 103B, Biplanes; Large--1/32. These required meticulous checking, dealing with two sets of wings, struts, rigging, and other details. We were able to reach a decision on the top three in this category after about 90 minutes of work.

We turned in the contest sheet and were told there were no other aircraft categories to be judges. Our group was dismissed with thanks. After hanging around the contest room for a few minutes to see if any other class needed judges, I headed out of the Conference Center around 9:20 pm. After stopping by a Whataburger to get a belated dinner to go, I headed back to the rental house to eat before retiring for the night.

To be continued...

 Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)

Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center

AMMO by Mig Jimenez: AMMO by Mig Jimenez

SprayGunner: Paint Spray Gun, Airbrush Paint Kit, Compressors (spraygunner.com)

Plastic Model Mojo: Plastic Model Mojo

Whataburger: Whataburger | Order Online with Curbside and Delivery

Recent Scale Modeling Related Activities

On Saturday, 11 September, I helped my mates at IPMS/Gateway stage our club's annual Invitational model contest and swap meet. This also served as the inaugural IPMS/USA Region 14 Contest. The event was held at the Holiday Inn St. Louis SW--Route 66 in Sunset Hills, Missouri. I helped staff the admission desk, where Regina Morris and I took admission and contest registration fees from attendees. While doing so, I asked them where they came from and how they learned about the show; this information was used to help in planning future shows. We had at least 147 attendees from six states, and the vast majority had attended our previous shows.

I entered three models in the contest, though I had no realistic chance of winning, and provided several models for the club display at the show. During the contest judging, I helped to judge armor and automotive models. There were 252 contest entries from 54 modelers, with plenty of high-quality models on the tables. Overall, it was a very good show.

One week later (18 September), I was at Epiphany United Church of Christ in St. Louis' Benton Park neighborhood for a celebration of life service in memory of IPMS/Gateway founder Del Miller, who died from a stroke on 20 August at age 80. It was a simple yet moving service that was led by Epiphany's pastor and included words from Del's daughter Rachel. Several of my IPMS/Gateway colleagues were in attendance. After the service, there was a reception in the church's multi-purpose room. I chatted with Del's widow Chris and gave her the IPMS/USA National Convention t-shirt Del ordered before the event in Las Vegas. I also thanked Rachel for her beautiful words, and chatted with Del's son Jason, who was with his family. Jason and I got caught up with things before I left the church.

The following Tuesday night (21 September), I ran IPMS/Gateway's monthly meeting at Affton Elks Lodge 2635.  I lead the meeting in a moment of silence to honor Miller and former club member Lewis Pruneau, who had died nine days before at age 77 in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. After this tribute, I recapped the shows in Las Vegas and Sunset Hills. We also had our Show & Tell segment and began processing membership renewals for 2022. 

Early last Saturday morning (25 September), I was on the road to Louisville, Kentucky for the Military Modelers Club of Louisville (MMCL) Invitational. This was held at the Triple Crown Pavillion & Convention Center. I entered two of my models in the contest, which had nearly 500 entries in total. My club colleague Rick Keasey also attended and entered in the contest. I chatted with several people I knew there, including David Knights, co-host of the podcast Plastic Model Mojo; aviation historian Dana Bell, who autographed two books of his that I bought from him at the show; and John Fluck of IPMS/Duneland, who I had known on Facebook but not met in person until then. Additionally, I shopped among the vendors and admired the contest entries. My USS Fletcher model was the only one in its Ships category, and thus earned First Place by default. Keasey had two Firsts, two Seconds, and a Third in Figures and in Dioramas, and his vignette of two World War II German tank crewmen earned the show's Best Vignette Award.

Last night, I hosted an IPMS/Gateway business meeting. All of the other executive board (e-board) members and one guest attended. We discussed our recent Invitational, planned programs for our remaining 2021 club meetings, and talked about other club business matters. This was all done in just over one hour, and then I showed my mates my workbench and model stash. A wonderful evening for us.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

IPMS Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)

Holiday Inn St. Louis SW--Route 66: Route 66 Hotels near St. Louis | Holiday Inn St. Louis SW - Route 66 (ihg.com)

Epiphany United Church of Christ: Epiphany UCC

Affton Elks Lodge 2635: Elks.org :: Lodge #2635 Home

Military Modelers Club of Louisville: MMCL Military Modelers Club Louisville

Triple Crown Pavillion: Jeffersontown | Triplecrownpavilion.org | United States

Plastic Model Mojo: Plastic Model Mojo

2021 IPMS/USA National Convention (3)

The second day of the IPMS/USA National Convention in Las Vegas was a Thursday (19 August), and it was the first full day of the convention. More attendees arrived during the morning and events were in full swing at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Not only were more attendees entering contest models, buying raffle tickets, and shopping among the vendors, but there were also several seminars on scale modeling topics during the day.

Besides me, there were five others from IPMS/Gateway at this convention: Mike Brickman, Rick Keasey, Marion Morris, Jim Triola, and Jim Victor. Marion's wife Regina also came.

That morning, I did get a convention T-shirt that my friend and IPMS/Gateway founder Del Miller had ordered. He was not able to come to the event but asked me a few weeks before the convention to get the shirt for me. This was the same pattern T-shirt I picked, featuring the US Air Force Thunderbirds on the back. (The other t-shirt pattern had an alien on the back.)

I got lucky with the raffle, winning two prizes during the convention's first two days. People with winning tickets were asked to come up on the stage in the contest room and select their prize from the available donated items. Most of the prizes were kits, but there were also detail parts, decals, paints, and tools to be given away. Both times my tickets were picked, I selected paint sets--one for World War II US Army Air Forces aircraft, the other for natural metal aircraft. 

Two much listened-to podcasts aimed at scale modelers were present at the convention. One was Plastic Model Mojo, which is co-hosted by my friend David Knights. They were set up inside the vendor room. The other was The Model Geeks, who had a table outside of the vendor room.

After several hours at the convention, I drove to a nearby In-N-Out Burger restaurant for lunch. It was my first experience with this legendary fast-food chain from southern California. I ordered a cheeseburger with French fries--both cooked to order--and a soft drink. It was most tasty, and I was glad to enjoy this lunch experience.

After lunch I returned to the Rio for more of the convention. When it wrapped up for the day, I joined the Morrises, Triola, and Victor for dinner at Metro Pizza, a short drive from the Rio. It was a nice pizzeria, and we had enjoyable conversation over dinner. In my case, it was the Bleeker pizza, with Italian sausage and garlic. It was most delicious.

Our party returned to the Rio after dinner, and I then got into my car and drove to Hostel Cat to get some sleep. Before turning in, I made sure to charge up the batteries for both the camera and cell phone, so they would be ready for the next day's activities.

The third day of the convention will be in my next post on this topic.

Later.

Websites of entities mentioned in this post:

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)

IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino: Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas | Caesars Entertainment - Official Site

Las Vegas Tourism: Las Vegas Tourism, Official Site

Plastic Model Mojo: Plastic Model Mojo

The Model Geeks Podcast: The ModelGeeks Podcast

In-N-Out Burger: In-N-Out Burger

Metro Pizza: Metro Pizza

Hostel Cat: Hostel Cat | Las Vegas No.1 Hostel